Nation’s Highest Medal Awarded to Nisei 10 Years Ago; U.S. Congressman Schiff and Others Provide Views

JRT, November 1, 2021
Capitol Hill. Ten years ago tomorrow at the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Building, Speaker John Boehner, with bipartisan congressional leaders at his side, presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Mitsuo Hamasu of the 100th Infantry Battalion, Dr. Susumu Ito of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Grant Ichikawa of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). To mark this 10-year anniversary *e-Advocate* asked Congressman Adam Schiff, sponsor of the Congressional effort, for his views. Schiff said, “It was an honor to lead Congress’ historic effort to honor the Nisei service members of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service with the Congressional Gold Medal. These true American heroes courageously fought and sacrificed to protect our nation, all while facing unimaginable hate and xenophobia at home. I will always be inspired by the strength and patriotism of the brave men I had the good fortune to meet and those whose stories I will never forget.”
Approximately 345 veterans and their families attended the award ceremony. When the late U.S. Senator Dan Inouye told the national audience the Gold Medal applied to all Nisei in the Service, he might have been thinking of the six Nisei who served as gunners in bombers; the 12 Nisei who sank with the Army transport Royal T. Frank off Maui coast as the result of a torpedo by a Japanese submarine; two Nisei of the 1399th Engineers who were killed during the Imperial Japanese attack; a Nisei medical doctor who served in the Normandy invasion, and a number of Nisei scattered in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Merchant Marines, including a Merchant Marine officer from Honolulu who was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism. The award of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor this nation can bestow, is the culmination of Nisei efforts to prove and to receive national acknowledgment of their loyalty to America.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor all ethnic Japanese in the U.S. were viewed as disloyal to America, as collaborators of Imperial Japan, and were banned from serving in the military. Nisei petitioned the government to allow them to serve in combat to prove their loyalty.The government agreed, waiving the ban to allow Nisei to volunteer for the MIS for Japanese language training and deployment to the Asia Pacific Theater. The War Department also sent the 100th Battalion, comprised of Hawaii’s 1,432 prewar draftees, to Italy for combat duty. The 100th Battalion sustained such huge casualties that the press labeled them the “Purple Heart Battalion”. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team made up of 4,000 volunteers from Hawaii and the mainland, many from internment camps joined the 100th in Europe, where they helped America defeat Hitler and saved a trapped Texas battalion.
At the end of the war in Europe, the War Department issued a press release which declared the 442nd, which included the 100th, was the best fighting unit in the U.S. Army and soon thereafter announced that the 442nd was the most highly decorated unit for its size and period of combat. President Harry Truman reviewed the 442nd at the Ellipse on July 15, 1946. In the driving rain that day, Truman confirmed Japanese American loyalty. It is JRT’s view that the contributions to allied victory by minority elements such as Japanese Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and others served as the backdrop to President Truman issuing Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, which desegregated the armed services and guaranteed equal treatment “without regard to race, color, religion, and ethnicity” in the armed forces. In 1988, the government provided reparations to the internees and President Ronald Reagan offered a formal national apology for the internment. JRT asked U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono if she had any special thoughts and she replied “on the 10th anniversary of the Congressional Gold Medal being awarded to the members of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regiment Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service, I salute their spirit, sacrifice, and dedicated service. Despite the anti-Japanese sentiment of the time, soldiers of *One Puka Puka*, 442nd RCT, and MIS risked their lives to fight for our country and allies during World War II. For that, we will remain forever grateful.”
JAVA served as a member of the National Veterans Network (NVN), Chairperson Christine Sato-Yamazaki, a national coalition whose immediate goal was to get the MIS included in U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer’s bill. Christine, now executive director of NVN said “The awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal (CGM) was the result of a unified national effort that brought together 23 organizations nationwide with a collective goal to honor the Japanese American WWII soldiers in recognition of their extraordinary service.” Christine also said, “on November 2, 2021, the NVN will commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the historic day in a 30-minute virtual event that will take place on November 2, 2021, at 8:00 pm EDT / 5:00 pm PDT / 2:00 pm Hawaii. To RSVP with instructions to access the event, please email NVN at [email protected].”
Before the passage of Senator Boxer’s bill that included the MIS, JACL interns Jean Shiraki (now MD) and Peter Ozaki, formed two teams of two, met with Senators’ staff persons, and invited JAVA veterans to join them to discuss Nisei combat achievements.
In addition, two JAVA veterans separately briefed senators’ staff officers on Capitol Hill and appealed to them to get their senators to sign on to the Boxer Bill. JAVA members from selected states were asked to pressure their senators to do the same; survivors and families of the trapped Texas battalion, saved by the Nisei in France, were enthusiastic supporters. Leslie Tramer said, “my father, 1st Lt. Erwin Blonder, instilled in his family a profound sense of gratitude to the heroic Nisei who rescued the Lost Battalion in the Vosges forest in October 1944. He said one should never judge another based on ethnicity. He always believed the treatment of the Nisei and their families was profoundly unfair and was pleased when the CGM was finally awarded”. My father said, “I think about my experiences with the Lost Battalion every day. I am thankful my life was spared by a group of men who were discriminated against and lost all they had on the West Coast but still proved to be the most loyal Americans. We, his family, share that profound sense of gratitude.” Another daughter, Mary Pat Higgins Abrunzo, said, “I know that my father, Marty Higgins, CO of the Lost Battalion would be very pleased that the Nisei veterans of WWII were awarded the CGM on November 2, 2011, in Washington DC. After the rescue on October 30, 1944, by the 100/442 in the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France, my father held the Japanese Americans in high esteem for the remainder of his life.” [Note: See Mary Pat Higgins Abrunzo’s article which follows below].
After the Boxer Bill, which included the MIS, passed both houses, Christine requested JAVA arrange and conduct local activities while supporting NVN’s CGM presentation and testimonial dinner during the three days of celebration. JAVA arranged the program entitled *the National Veterans Network Tribute to the 100th, 442nd, and MIS*, which included the award of 50 Bronze Stars to 100th and 442nd veterans followed by the laying of wreaths at the National WW 2 Memorial Freedom Wall. The *Tribute*, held in the largest ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel, was officiated by the late General Raymond T. Odierno, then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and facilitated by LTG Thomas Bostick, then Director of Personnel of the U.S. Army. Gerald Yamada, JAVA President and chair of the *Tribute*, said, “I was privileged to give the opening and closing remarks at the first day of the 3-day ceremony awarding the CGM to members of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd RCT and MIS. This award gives national recognition that the Japanese Americans, who served, put country first and are loyal Americans. They brought honor to our community, their families, and themselves. They forged the legacy from which we all benefit and need to preserve.”
The U.S. Army provided total support inspired by requests from two retired generals, LTG Joe Peterson and MG Tony Taguba. LTG Peterson obtained major resource and logistics decisions from the Army in real-time that ensured the dignity and high value of the program. LTG Thomas Bostick, who complemented LTG Peterson and MG Taguba’s efforts, said, “one of the highlights of my career was the opportunity to support the U.S. Army effort with the Congressional Gold Medal presentation to the 100th, 442nd, and the MIS. From the minute that I received a call about the possible recognition of these great Soldiers and units, the U.S. Army immediately went to work and remained engaged throughout all the ceremonies at the Pentagon, Congress, the Washington Hilton Hotel, National World War II Memorial, and the many locations throughout the country.“
JAVA also arranged the *Tribute to Nisei who Died in Line of Duty in Europe and Asia Pacific* on November 3 at the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism; the *Honor Flights* to transport mainland veterans (regretfully, Honor Flights had no similar program for Hawaii) to Washington, DC. JAVA also created and ran the credential committee to ensure the limited number of seats at the CGM ceremony were assigned to qualified veterans and their families. JAVA members organized welcome programs at Reagan National, BWI, and Dulles airports.

NVM CGM Commemoration November 2, 2021 Register to Watch

Register to watch the NVN commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the CGM award in a 30-minute virtual event that will take place on November 2, 2021, at 8:00 pm EDT / 5:00 pm PDT / 2:00 pm Hawaii. To RSVP with instructions to access the event, please email NVN at [email protected].

Trapped Battalion Commander Daughter’s Remarks about her Dad’s being Saved by Nisei

By Mary Pat Abrunzo
Honolulu, Hawaii. Congratulations on the 10th Anniversary of the passage of the CGM being awarded to the 100, 442, and MIS Nisei soldiers of WWII. I know that my father, Captain Martin J. Higgins, would join me in congratulating the Nisei soldiers, as many such as Susumu Ito, Ed Ichiyama, and George Oiye, were dear friends. My husband, Tom Abrunzo, and I accompanied my father to the March 25, 2000 Memorial Service at the Punchbowl Military Cemetery in Honolulu when dad was asked to be the Keynote Speaker.
Dad thanked the 100/442 for rescuing 211 members of the 141st Regiment Veterans on October 30, 1944, by stating, “Chills went up our spines when we saw the Nisei soldiers. The first thing they offered us was cigarettes. Ed Ichiyama asked me what I thought when these little guys came along. I can honestly tell you they looked like giants to us.
I really regret the loss of lives and wounding of your men to rescue us.” He concluded by saying, “It is an HONOR to stand before you; to offer my regrets of your losses; to give thanks for your bravery and sacrifice, for myself, for the others in the Lost Battalion, and for the country for which you fought.
Every one of you deserves the Distinguished Service Award, as you distinguished yourself in combat and as loyal citizens of the United States of America. We are forever thankful and indebted to you.” My father cried as he completed his speech and knew that it was a success when Senator Daniel Inouye shook his hand.
Congratulations on the 10th Anniversary of the passage of the CGM to the valiant and brave Nisei soldiers of the 100, 442, and MIS. Mary Pat Higgins Abrunzo, Proud daughter of Marty Higgins.

The War Story of Malcolm Nishida: MIS Veteran in China

Jane NishidaDecember 7, 1941, was a momentous day in history that dramatically changed the world and changed the lives of Japanese Americans, including my father,Malcolm Minoru Nishida.My father was a twenty-year-old Nisei living in Honolulu, the eldest son in a family of seven children, who understood his role as the eldest son to support his family. At the same time, he also understood his duty as a patriotic American to support the country that he loved and decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.
After enlisting, my father was sent to Camp Savage, the U.S. Military Intelligence Service (MIS) language school which was established to teach Japanese language skills to military personnel and civilians involved in the war effort. As the number of U.S. military personnel who spoke or understood Japanese was almost non-existent in the 1940s, Nisei soldiers were actively recruited. Camp Savage was located in Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and my father often talked about how the Hawaiian boys could not adapt to the bone chilling winters in Minnesota.
After graduation from Camp Savage, my father was assigned as a MIS intelligence officer in both the China and India-Burma theaters during World War II. He interrogated prisoners of war, translated captured documents, and served as a Japanese interpreter for the overall war effort. During the height of the war, he was stationed in the strategic cities of Shanghai, Nanking (Nanjing), and Peking (Beijing) until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945.
After the war with Japan ended, my father continued to serve as a MIS intelligence officer in China during the civil conflict between the Nationalist (Kuomintang) led government of Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Communist Party forces led by Mao Zedong. Much of the civil conflict occurred in Manchuria, which had been occupied by forces from the Soviet Union and saw the surrender of approximately 700,000 Japanese troops at the end of the war. My father was stationed in the Northeastern cities of Changchun and Mukden from 1946 to 1949 to gather key intelligence. In fact, the Communist China News Agency reported that the “so-called American Consulate in Mukden and U.S. Army liaison group Mukden is American espionage organs” and that Japanese special service agents supplied important intelligence “70 to 80 times to Nishida, American-Japanese.”
When the Chinese Communist Party gained control of the country and established the People’s Republic of China. In 1949, my father was one of two MIS officers to assist the Nationalist led government of Chiang Kai-shek to flee to Taiwan and establish the Republic of China, however, before my father left mainland China, he had another important mission – to help my mother, a Japanese American stranded in Mukden, to flee China (learn more about this war love story in the next issue of the *e-Advocate*).

Wade Ishimoto Participates in U.S. Army Day on the USS Midway

In late September, JAVA member CAPT Wade Ishimoto, USA (Ret), took part in U.S. Army Day on the USS Midway during the launch of SoCal Army Week. In an interview, Ishimoto shared the start of his career in the Army – listen in at minute 17:29 in the following KUSI-SD news clip:

French Chevalier Conferment for Hiroshi Okura, A “Able” Battery, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion

Chicago, Illinois — October 20, 2021, in an intimate ceremony at the Okura Family residence, a historic event between the Republic of France and a World War II Army Nisei military veteran transpired. Mr. Yannick Tagand, Consul General of France in Chicago, and his staff personally conferred the Chevalier (Knight) rank and medal to Mr. Hiroshi Okura, A “Able” Battery, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion (FAB), 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Mr. Okura will turn 100 years old on November 3rd. The Légion d’honneur was established in 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte, and France’s highest order for military and civil merits — the equivalent to the U.S. Medal of Honor.

Then Private Hiroshi Okura was an Artillery Field Communications Lineman assigned to A “Able” Battery, 522nd FAB, 442nd RCT Team. In World War II, the 522nd FAB sustained a well-known and exceptionally enviable reputation as one of the most proficient in speed and accuracy for Allied field artillery units in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Okura’s selfless service, sacrifice and steadfast “Go for Broke” courage were key to successful Allied combat action and the liberation of Eastern-France during World War II. The 522nd FAB was the organic and indirect/direct artillery fire support for the 442nd RCT.

Okura was a key member of Able Battery without whom reliable and continuous and timely communications his battery and the artillery battalion as a whole could not effectively support the assault infantry of the 100th/442nd. Okura laid, maintained, and took up the wire or cable of a telephone or telegraph communication system. He ran wire along the ground guiding it from a wire reel of a 1/4-ton wire truck. Fastened wire to poles, stakes, or trees, and carried it across roads or other obstructions, and buried in a shallow ditch or suspended from trees, telephone poles, or lance poles. He located and determined the cause of line trouble such as opens, shorts, and grounds by testing the length of wire at intervals. Made appropriate repairs, such as spliced breaks and cut out defective wire and spliced. All of these vital communications requirements were accomplished under harsh weather and terrain, and often under vicious combat conditions. Okura served courageously and honorably in the Rome-Arno — (France) Rhineland-Vosges | Rhineland-Maritime Alps — and Central Europe Campaigns. During the Rhineland-Vosges Campaign, Okura personally contributed to the liberation of Bruyères, Belmont-Biffontaine, and the epic rescue of the lost ’Texas’ battalion in the Vosges Mountains. Okura also experienced the 522nd FAB’s rescue of imprisoned Jewish citizens on their death march, and from German death camps in Southern Germany.

For his honorable service Private Hiroshi Okura was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal — European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Campaign/Battle Stars — World War II Victory Medal — and Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War II. In 2011, Mr. Okura was included in the 100th Infantry Battalion | 442nd RCT | Military Intelligence Service, Washington, D.C. ceremony honoring “The Nisei Soldiers of World War II” with the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.

He Fought the Good Fight Colonel Jimmie Kanaya, USA (Ret) 10/03/1920 – 11/7/2019

Lynn Kanaya
Arlington Cemetery. A recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart and a former Prisoner of War, Colonel Jimmie Kanaya, USA (Ret), was buried with full honors on June 30, 2021, at Arlington National Cemetery in a service officiated by the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment or “Old Guard.” Family members, JAVA representatives, and Friends of Oflag 64 (the WWII POW camp where Kanaya was held) gathered to pay their respects and honor the three-war Veteran. In a landscape of white marble tombstones, the group lined up behind the flag-draped caisson and silently reflected on Kanaya’s years of service to his country. Pulled by six horses, the caisson was followed by a riderless horse with boots reversed in stirrups to symbolize a warrior’s last ride. A platoon of soldiers, a drummer, and a bugler were also part of the procession; the measured marching, and the drumming joined with the sound of horses’ hooves to reverently mark the journey to the gravesite. Once there, family and friends found comfort in the words of a U.S. Army Chaplin: “Jimmie fought for the flag, and at his death, the flag honors him.” During the ceremony, a twenty-one-gun salute was given by seven riflemen. Afterward, with solemn precision, platoon members unfolded a United States flag above the remains and then refolded and presented it to Jimmie’s wife, Lynn Kanaya. The mournful notes of the bugler’s taps concluded the service and Colonel Kanaya was laid to rest, joining four hundred thousand warriors and patriots who also faithfully served their country and are buried at Arlington.
When asked about his medals and awards, Jimmie would say, “I was just doing my job.” Yet his actions on the battlefield belie his modesty; his record was exemplary. A medic in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, he received a Silver Star for evacuating the wounded on Hill 140 in Italy and Battlefield Commission from the Rome/Arno campaign for valor and gallantry in action against an enemy. For a solo evacuation of his platoon sergeant who was mortally wounded, he received the Bronze Star with Valor and two oak leaf clusters. The Bronze Star’s inscription on the back cites, “meritorious and heroic achievement.” His Purple Heart was earned in the Vosges Mountains of France for being wounded in combat against the enemy. In that battle, Jimmie along with others was taken prisoner and spent the remainder of the war as a POW. Most of his time was at Oflag 64, a camp for Army officers, where he was ruthlessly interrogated. In January 1945, ahead of the Allied advance, Kanaya and the other POWs were forced on an eight-week death march to Oflag XIIIB at Hammelburg. As a member of the 442nd RCT, Jimmie received eight Presidential Citations. The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of Armed forces of the United States for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy. At retirement after thirty-four years of service including World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, Jimmie was awarded the Legion of Merit for “exceptional meritorious conduct in performing outstanding services and achievement.” The French Government also recognized Colonel Kanaya. During the 60th anniversary of WWII, Jimmie was given the French Legion of Honor by the French Minister of Defense, Paris, France, for services rendered in the liberation of Bruyères and Biffontaine.
While Jimmie made the military his life’s work, he never gave up on his goal of earning undergraduate and graduate degrees. Attending school at night and between posts, it took Jimmie 22 years to earn his college degree. He valued education and recognized that the knowledge he gained from coursework, helped him to do a better job and be a better leader. The words of Timothy 2:4:7-8 describe Jimmie’s journey in life. “I fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” This humble hero inspires us all to continue doing our best, to be of service, and to relish the life of freedom that he and others fought so hard to achieve.

Nisei Combatants of World War II Discuss Premonition of Death

*[EdNote. Dr. Ann Bugliani sent a warm note soon after she read the October 1 e- Advocate article, “Nisei Combatants of World War II Discuss Premonition of Death.”]*
“Americo was thrilled to have located Paul fifty years after their first encounter. Their meeting again was the experience of a lifetime memorialized in the Hawaii Herald article of February 3, 1995. The monument was proposed by Americo to Pietrasanta’s leading citizens. The sculpture was executed by world renowned sculptor Marcello Tommasi. He donated his work. The bronze and marble were donated by a local foundry and the city of Pietrasanta donated the land. There is nothing else like it here in Italy nor anywhere else for that matter. It is fitting since Pietrasanta is often referred to as the sculpture capital of the world.”

Monument to Allied Soldiers by Marcello Tommasi, Pietrasanta, Italy. The monument depicts Sadao Munemori, who died protecting his fellow soldiers from a grenade. Photo: Dr. Americo Bugliani, Courtesy of Dr. Ann Bugliani.

JAVA 2022 Elections Call for Nominations!

In accordance with JAVA’s By-laws, the Nominations Committee is preparing to nominate JAVA members for each of the four elected Offices: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

Should you desire to be considered for one of those positions, please submit your name and a short summary (no more than one page) of your qualifications and desire to run for any of the elected offices. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, December 1, 2021. These Officers will serve a two year term beginning in February 2022. Your submissions should be sent to Nominations Chair Dawn Eilenberger at [email protected].

Election Timeline:

Slate of Candidates will be presented to the membership on January 2, 2022.
Email voting will take place from January 2 to 28, 2022.
Proxy email voting will take place from January 2 to 26, 2022.
Election results will be announced at the General Membership Meeting on February 5, 2020.